As New Zealand’s cricketers continue to wait to learn what the future of domestic Twenty20 will be, White Ferns great Sophie Devine has urged the powers that be to consider the growth of the women’s game.
With New Zealand Cricket (NZC) currently reviewing findings from consultancy firm Deloitte, it is widely understood that two options are on the table of the four that were assessed.
On one side sits the NZ20, a privately-owned franchise competition that would bring foreign investment into the Kiwi game. On the other is NZC-run participation in Australia’s marquee tournament, the Big Bash League.
But while much of the focus of the debate has been on the men’s side of the game, the decision is arguably more significant for New Zealand’s women.
While men’s franchise leagues are popping up across the globe, those opportunities do not always extend to women.
For men, every major cricket nation bar New Zealand has a franchise-style competition, with the likes of the US, Canada and even Nepal boasting tournaments outside the traditional players.
On the women’s side, though, only four leagues currently exist – Australia, England, India and the Caribbean. Bangladesh’s Women’s Premier League will launch its inaugural season next month as a fifth.
While New Zealand’s men are active participants in franchise cricket, the White Ferns’ involvement is for the most part restricted to the likes of Devine, Suzie Bates and captain Amelia Kerr.
For Devine, the NZ20 v Big Bash outcome is secondary to her primary want: making sure opportunities exist for women and girls to become professional cricketers on home soil.
“Where I lean towards is the women’s game here in New Zealand,” said Devine. “Whatever that looks like, whether that’s a team in the Big Bash or the NZ20, we’ve got to make sure we’re supporting the women’s game, and that they’re playing more games of cricket.
“I’ve been really fortunate to have played around the world, different franchises and a lot in Australia. The thing that stands out is how much they’re supported [by] their home boards, and the opportunities they’ve got to play competitive cricket.”
As Deloitte’s report will have found, there are benefits and drawbacks to both.
The NZ20 would bring investment into the local game, filtering down to players below international level, rather than just the Black Caps and White Ferns. The Big Bash League, meanwhile, would mean New Zealand could capitalise on Australia’s existing competition, with teams and audiences already established.
On the negative side, the NZ20 would mean NZC surrendering its control of the domestic product to outside interests, while the Big Bash team would greatly reduce the number of professional opportunities to New Zealand players not involved.
Interestingly, the NZ20 proposal could lead to more competition for women than men, if selected.
As pointed out by fellow White Ferns stalwart Suzie Bates, the women’s calendar could allow for NZ20 to be an “as well as” alongside the current Super Smash structure, rather than an “instead of”.
The Herald understands initial plans for the women’s NZ20 would operate in a different period from the men’s intended January window.
Conversely, there could also be room for a domestic women’s T20 competition to run, should NZC decide in favour of the Big Bash League option.
Devine is well placed to understand the trade-off between a local competition versus joining Australia’s.
Since the inception of the Women’s Big Bash League in 2015-16, the 36-year-old has played every season, split across stints with the Perth Scorchers and Adelaide Strikers. Devine has won Australia’s premier tournament once, and been in its team of the tournament on seven occasions.
But even having played in Australia and seen the benefits afforded to the women’s game, she makes no bones about wanting to see the same possibilities opened up for Kiwis.
“If anything, I probably lean towards the NZ20,” Devine continued. “The opportunity to build something here in New Zealand, hopefully play more games of cricket in New Zealand is really exciting.
“I’ve been involved in the Big Bash from the start – I know exactly what that tournament can bring. At the end of the day, we’ve got to do what’s best for the game in general.
“Whatever decision is made, we need to make sure there’s competitive cricket, and enough of it as well. That would be the biggest concern for me, if the women’s domestic game is losing games of cricket.
“I don’t really care what happens, as long as there’s good competitive cricket that’s going to continue to build the White Ferns, but also get more people involved in the game.”
Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016.